Chapter 10- الراس الغول (Arabic: Al-Ra's Al-Ghul, The Head of the Demon)

"Master Daniel," Alfred said grimly, "We are approaching the mountain of the Demon. I suggest you get in your suit."

Without a word, I got out of my chair and over to the platform where a machine started to put the suit on me. I didn't know what to say. The ride over had been basically silent. I wasn't ready. I didn't want to die. That is what would keep me alive. My determination to get back to Meg, to Dick, to Jason and Barbara. I had to.

Once we were suited up, Alfred sighed.

"I don't suppose I could convince you last minute to change your mind about this?" He asked me. I shook my head as the suit's eyes lit up, finalizing the system reboot.

"I don't have any choice" I said in my now-distorted voice said. Alfred shuddered, despite hearing the voice for years now. It was the same frequency that Bruce had used. Our voices were basically identical.

"Detective." Ra's smiled as Alfred and I exited the Batwing. "And Al-Syf. What a pleasant surprise to see you."

"Ra's." Alfred said with disgust. Ra's put on a face that was somewhere between a smirk and a grimace, baring his teeth like the fangs of a beast.

"This is between me and you, Ra's." I hissed. His angry smirk changed in an instant to a calm grin.

"Of course, Detective." He laughed, "As long as this traitor doesn't interfere…"

One of the Leagues Ninja's approached Ra's and bowed, holding her an ancient scimitar out. Ra's took it and whirled it around, getting into his stance. I looked over at Alfred, who lowered his face. He shoved his hands into the pockets of his trench coat as the snow started to fall lightly. I also took my fighting stance.

"Ready, Daniel?" Ra's said. I nodded. We drew near, meeting in the middle of the circular shaped mountain.

I jumped, sending a flying punch at my foe. He hit it aside with the blunt of his blade, and kicked me in the gut. The kick was surprisingly strong, and sent me flying through the air. I used the upward momentum to flip and land gracefully. It was Ra's turn to be on the offensive.

The Demon slashed at me with his scimitar. I blocked it with the armor plating on my arms, but he spun sending a kick towards the back of my head. It made contact, sending me stumbling. I used this momentum as well, but to sweep Ra's' legs from under him.

He grunted as he hit the ground. I stomped towards his chest, but he rolled out of the way and was back on his feet. He wasn't prepared for my lightning fast reflexes that were only enhanced by the upgrades that Lucius had installed in the Bat-Armor.

He staggered as my titanium-alloy palm bashed him square in the nose. He started to bleed. Stabbed his sword into the snow and touched the drop of blood with the tip of his finger.

"Very impressive, Batman" The Demon complimented. He smiled. "So impressive, that I am going to give you a choice. Bring him out!"

Two of Ra's female ninjas brought a thin, malnourished man out from the tent that they had set up. He had a bag covering his head.

They forced him to his knees and yanked the sack off. Though his green hair was much longer and his face hollow, I recognized that pale complexion and wide, red grin on his face. The Joker.

He laughed through his gag when he saw me. One of the ninjas smacked him in the back with a whip. He whimpered and looked down to the ground. What the hell?

"I have been preparing for this for a long time, Detective." Ra's told me, "Longer than you know."

Ra's walked slowly over to me, placing his sword into my hands.

"Kill him, the man who slaughtered your mother, and join me. You will eventually succeed me, and take your rightful place as Head of the Demon."

I looked at him. I was shocked, though my helmet did not betray my feelings. I looked at him.

"Ra's stop this!" Alfred yelled. Ra's turned and smiled.

"Oh, you mean he doesn't know?" He laughed. The Butler furrowed his eyebrows and clenched his fists. "You haven't told him, Al-Syf?"

"I didn't tell him because he would never make such a god-awful choice!" Alfred yelled. That was the first time I had heard Alfred like this. He was enraged. It wasn't him. It was Al-Syf, his League name. "The Sword" if my limited Arabic was correct.

"Tell me what, Alfred?"

"Should I tell him, or do you want to?" Ra's asked. Alfred shot daggers with his eyes at him, then looked at me.

"Master Daniel…" He said, staring at the ground "There is a part of the prophecy that only members of the League know."

The Prophecy, that he referred to, was that I was destined to kill Ra's. Well, the Arbiter of Death, the Great Betrayer, was destined to kill him. I was just the instrument in its hands. I was silent and gave my full attention to Alfred.

"The other part of the prophecy…" He continued, "Is that the Arbiter's human avatar (you) can, instead of Kill the Demon, succeed him. Become the Demon."

Ra's laughed. I looked at the Clown Prince, then at the Blade in my hand.

"It would be so easy," Ra's told me, "Kill the clown, then rule the world from the shadows."

"Master Daniel, I-" Alfred started to say. Ra's threw a dagger at him. I was expecting him to fall, but he caught the blade as it twirled through the air.

"I won't do it, Ra's." I said, throwing the sword on the ground. Ra's grimaced, then took a katana from one of his ninjas.

"Pity." He said, biting the inside of his cheek to hide his rage, "Take the Clown back to Gotham. He can burn that city for all I care. I will finish the Bat."

One of the ninjas punched Joker in the face, knocking him out. They dragged his limp body somewhere. I didn't much care where at that time. I had to end this.

Ra's and I battled for a long time. His blade was sharp. Very sharp. It cut and damaged my armor, knock whole junks off and cutting through the exosuit. I eventually had to leave it all. I attacked, he parried or dodged. He attacked, I dodged most of them. I couldn't win. I knew I couldn't. Without the suit, I had no advantage on him. He, on the other hand, knew how to fight better than anyone I had ever fought.

Armorless, I continued the fight. I threw a series of punches at him, all of which he blocked with the side of his blade. He laughed, and I threw a wild, exhausted kick at his face. He threw it down, sending me to the ground. On my back, he raised his sword to head, ready to stab it through my heart. I closed my eyes, prepared to meet death, until a voice was heard in the darkness

"Ra's Al-Ghul, I command you to stop this instant!" Alfred shouted. I opened my eyes to see Ra's turn his attention towards the Butler. "I remember the rules of a duel on this mountain. I am allowed to take his place and fight for him."

"This is different Al-Syf!" Ra's screamed, childishly. It shocked me.

"It is not. You need to respect the ancient traditions. Or your League cannot follow you anymore."

Ra's turned towards his ninjas. They all looked at each other, emotionless. But I could tell that Alfred was right by the way they held their hands on the hilts of their swords, ready to strike if he refused Alfred's offer.

Ra's looked furious, but then completely changed his expression. He started to laugh.

"Well played, Pennyworth." He smirked, "You have yet again proved to me that you have a place in the League. You truly are the Sword."

Alfred grabbed a katana that one of the ninjas handed him and got into a stance of his own.

The two dueled for a long time. I had no idea, but Alfred was a master swordsman. Better than anyone I had ever seen. Ra's was going to lose and he knew it. Until he did something shocking. He placed both his hands behind his back as Alfred stabbed, stepping only slightly to the side. The blade plunged into the Demon's chest. He grunted. Alfred shoved the blade even harder in his rage, but stopped with a look of shock as Ra's started laughing.

"What are you doing?" Alfred asked. The Demon plunged his own sword straight into the Old Man's chest, through his heart, and out his back. All that escaped the Butler's lips was a short, wheezing noise as he collapsed to the ground.

Ra's pulled Alfred's sword from his own chest, coughed a little, then wiped the blade clean.

"Alfred!" I cried as I crawled over to his body. His mouth was filling with blood as he moved it to try and form a sentence. His eyes stared blankly into mine. He placed a hand on my cheek, wiping away tears that I didn't even notice were flowing. Then, the life left him.

"You bastard!" I screamed, picking up my own discarded blade. I charged wildly at Ra's, but he plunged Alfred's sword into my gut.

"I can't kill you here." Ra's' voice was a low, dark growl, "Because Al-syf took your place." He withdrew the blade, "But I don't help you survive."

Blood poured from my wound. I tried to swing a fist at Ra's, but it just fell limply to my side. I collapsed to the ground next to Alfred, as blood emptied from our bodies, dying the snow around us a dark crimson color. Then, the world went dark.